Ella and Ezra
by EzriaFreak
Summary: Ella doesn't know about Aria and Ezra. This takes place when Ezra still works at Rosewood. Ella has a huge crush on Ezra, and asks him out. Little does she know she just asked out her daughters boyfriend.
1. Chapter 1

Ezra Fitz lounged in the teachers' lounge at Rosewood High school. He sipped on his coffee and thought about his wonderful girlfriend, Aria Montgomery. Their love was perfect and flawless. The only problem with their relationship was that Ezra was in fact Aria's English teacher.

Ezra's thought was interrupted when Ella Montgomery, Aria's mom, entered the lounge. Even though Ezra knew that Ella had a crush on him, he tried to ignore that fact. It was too awkward to even think about dating your girlfriends' mom.

"Ezra, hi," Ella greeted as she made herself a coffee at the coffee machine.

"Oh, hi, Ella," Ezra responded. He tried to make to an excuse to leave, but he couldn't think of one. "Are you enjoying working here?" he asked.

Ella nodded. She had begun subbing at Rosewood just one week ago, and she spent a lot of time with Ezra. Aria hated this. "This is a beautiful school, so I love working here."

Ezra didn't know what else to say. He was never good at small talk. Nervously, she stood up from the couch he was on and placed his coffee on the coffee table in front of him. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Listen, Ezra, I was wondering," Ella began. She looked at Ezra, whose eyes bulged open. He was afraid that he knew what question was to come next. "My friend Amelia wants me to go on a blind date with some guy, but I'm not really in the mood to date him. I told her that I already am seeing someone, but I'm not. And so she told me to bring my date to this dinner tomorrow, and I have no idea what to do. I'm not going to ask Byron to come. I mean, we're separated. So, I was wondering if you could spare a couple hours Saturday night to come to a dinner with me."

Ezra didn't know how to answer. He wanted to help Ella out, but he wasn't sure how Aria would react. "Look, Ella, I really want to help you. Trust me. But I might have plans. Just let me check my calendar. I can tell you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Ezra," Ella cried. "It would really mean a lot to me." Then she stumbled out of the lounge.

Ezra didn't know what to do. He wanted to help his friend out, but he knew he would have to ask Aria first. That would be the right thing to do. But what was he to say, _Listen, love, your mom just asked me on a date_? Awkward would not begin to describe that conversation.

Since Aria was in biology class, Ezra pulled out his phone and opened the message icon. He pressed the create message button and slid his fingers across his keyboard. He didn't know what to write. Everything seemed to awkward.

There was no right way to tell his girlfriend that her mother had asked him out. Yet, Ella didn't know about their relationship. Say, nobody did. Their relationship was a secret, and if anybody found out, Ezra would be fired.

Again, Ezra's thought raced back to the first time he met Aria. He remembered her pure voice, soft skin, rose-like lips, and sighed. When he looked at his watch, he realized that he was caught in his own world for half an hour.

So, Ezra typed the first thing he could think of. Maybe it wasn't the best way to address the topic. And didn't think about what he wrote until he had already pressed send. When he looked at what he wrote, his thoughts wandered back to Aria, and wondered how she would respond.

**_Ezra: _**_Look, Aria, we need to talk. Your mom just asked me out._


	2. Chapter 2

Aria Montgomery sat in history class bored to death. She hated history class since her 100 year old teacher didn't know how to teacher. Aria longed for something exciting to happen. However, as soon as it did, she regretted her wish.

Ten minutes before class ended, Aria received an incoming text from her boyfriend. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the message.

_**Ezra:**_****_Look, Aria, we need to talk. Your mom just asked me out._

Before she could believe her eyes, Aria had to read the text message ten times. She couldn't believe it. Her mother and her boyfriend? That couple would not work out.

Her parents had only separated one week ago, and her father had already moved on. However, Ella hadn't. Was she only doing this to make Byron jealous, or did Ella really like Ezra?

Quickly, Aria sent a simple text to her boyfriend:

**_Aria: _**_WHAT? That's INSANE!_

While she waited for Ezra to reply, Aria focused her attention back to her teacher. However, it was hard for Aria to concentrate. Finally, after what seemed forever, Aria felt her phone vibrate in her lap.

**_Ezra: _**_She said she told her friends that she was seeing someone so they wouldn't give her a blind date. Now, they want her to bring her date to this diner Saturday. And since she doesn't have a date, she asked me to come with her._

**_Aria: _**_What did you tell her?_

**_Ezra: _**_I told her I had to check my calendar and that I would tell her later._

**_Aria: _**_Do you want to go?_

After sending that last message, Aria waited for an answer. Whatever Ezra answered would change their relationship.

**_Ezra: _**_Honestly, Aria, I would rather spend that dinner with you. But things can't be that way. If we don't want your mom to suspect anything about our relationship, then maybe I should go. I don't want to go, but I don't want to let your mom down._

Once she read the text, Aria released a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding. Ezra did care about her. Even though she didn't want Ezra and her mom going to a diner together, Ezra did have a point. If she didn't want Ella to suspect anything about her relationship, Aria would have to let Ezra go out with Ella. And besides, one night wasn't that bad.

**_Aria: _**_Go. If it's just one night, it's okay. I mean, you do have a point. We don't want her to suspect anything our relationship. So go with her...but don't forget me ;)_

**_Ezra: _**_Are you sure babe?_

**_Aria: _**_Positive._

That last text was a lie. Aria was everything but sure about this dinner. She knew that her mom liked Ezra, so what if she tried to kiss him? Of course, Ezra would not allow this, nor would he?

Aria was confused. She didn't know what to expect of just one dinner. But she told herself to relax. She told herself that everything would be okay with her and Ezra. However, there was a part of her heart that didn't believe her.

**. . .**

Ezra read Aria's text three times before making sure he hadn't misread the message. Of course, it only said _Positive_, but Ezra was not sure if she was being sarcastic or not. Nevertheless, Ezra called Ella.

After the third ring, Ella replied.

"Hello," she called.

"Uh. Ella, hi," Ezra stated in monotone. He tried to cover up the fact that he was extremely nervous.

"Ezra," Ella replied. "Have you checked your calendar yet?"

"About that," Ezra answered. His left had raised and he began to scratch the back of his neck, like he always did when he was nervous. "I've checked my calendar. I'm free, so I can go to this dinner with you."

"Great!" Ella gleamed. He could feel her smile through the phone. "The restaurant is called Chez Mirabelle Vegan Bistro."

Ezra remembered that restaurant. He had almost taken Aria there one time. "It's the French restaurant in Philly, right?"

"Bingo," Ella laughed. "Anyways, the dinner starts at 7:30. Should I pick you up around 7:00?"

"Uh," Ezra whispered. This was way too awkward. He was going on a date with his girlfriend's mom to a restaurant he had almost taken his girlfriend to. "Sure, I guess. You know where I live, right?"

"Of course," Ella replied.

An awkward silence filed the phone line.

"So, see you Saturday," Ezra told Ella through the phone.

"Thank you, Ezra," Ella replied. "This really means a lot to me."

Ezra quickly hung up and took a seat on one of the couches in the teachers' lounge. He tried to think about what he had gotten himself into, but it was too much for his brain to handle. Besides, when he looked at his clock he realized that he was late for his English class.

He stood up, and then walked to his English room, where Aria sat in her normal seat. They both shared nervous glances, preparing themselves for the most awkward day to come.


	3. Chapter 3

That afternoon, Aria Montgomery got home and headed straight to her room. She grabbed her copy of Winesburg, Ohio off of her nightstand and read the book from start to finish. Before beginning the book, Aria read the inscription on the first page. It was a note from Ezra.

_When you need to leave Rosewood... Ezra_

Aria felt as if the book was written specifically for this day. She needed to get out of Rosewood, and fast. Her boyfriend and Mom were going to go on a date just the next day! Even though she had told her boyfriend that she had no problem about it, Aria had lied. She was furious with her mother for asking the love of her life out.

Arias thoughts were interrupted by a bang on her bedroom's door. Her mother entered the room, and aria quickly shut her book cover closed.

"Aria," her mother greeted.

"Hey," Aria replied. "What are you doing here?" Of course, the response sounded rude, even though it was not intended to. "I mean," Aria corrected herself, "you haven't come here ever since you." She paused for a second. "You know, moved out."

Ella Montgomery sat onto her daughter's bed, next to her daughter.

"I need your help, Aria," she admitted.

"With what?"

"I have a date tomorrow night, and I need to look absolutely gorgeous," Ella explained.

Aria chocked. Her mother was dressing up for her boyfriend! And she wanted her help!

"Who's the date with?" Aria asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Ella scratched her head, not answering.

"Do I know him?" Aria persisted. She wanted her mother to admit that she was going out with Mr. Ezra Fitz.

Ella nodded. "I'm going to dinner with Ezra."

"Like," Aria started. "As in, Mr. Ezra Fitz?"

Again, Ella bobbled her head.

"You like my English teacher!" Aria teased, putting on her best fake smile.

Ella laughed, gleamed, and then blushed. "I need to look nice for to tomorrow night. We are going to Chez Mirabelle Vegan Bistro."

"Is that the French place in Philly?" Aria asked. She remembered the time Ezra had almost taken her there.

"Yes, it has very good food," Ella responded. "We're going with my friends and their dates."

"So is he a fake date for you, or are you guys actually going out?" Aria asked.

Ella sighed. "I think it's just a fake date for now. But I'm really into him, so I want him to be mine. Maybe one day."

"He is like 24," Aria whispered.

"I'm only 35," Ella responded. "There is an age difference, but whatever. I mean, I don't actually have him yet."

Aria had enough with the conversation. So, she changed the discussion topic back to clothes.

"You want me to help you dress up, right?" Aria asked.

Ella nodded.

"Why are you asking me? I mean, I'm the one who wears forks as earrings," Aria pointed out as she motioned for her ears.

"And you make them look beautiful," Ella remarked. "If you can make forks look wonderful, you can make an old mother look wonderful.

Aria thought about her mothers' wardrobe for a second. She remembered that her mother owned a lot of black.

"Is this dinner fancy or formal?" Aria asked.

"A bit in-between, so a nice dress you do fine."

Again, Aria collapsed, deep in thought. She rushed to her closet and pulled out a light grey shirt.

"Wear this," she instructed to her mother. "Wear it with a knee length black skirt and any black heels."

"Thanks, Aria," her mother replied.

"No problem," Aria answered and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. Then, her mom left, and Aria returned to reading the book Ezra had given her.

Even though Aria could have dressed Ella much nicer, she didn't. In pure honesty, Aria was extremely jealous of her mother. She could go on a date with Ezra, while Aria couldn't.

Aria also thought about the other things Ella had said. She had commented that she wanted Ezra to be her permanent boyfriend. Deep down, Aria pitied her mother. How would she react when she discovered that her daughter was dating the man of her dreams?

Even though Aria did not want Ella to ever find out about her relationship with Ezra, she soon would. And that day was sooner than Aria hoped. Little did Aria know that day was just a few days away.


	4. Chapter 4

Ezra Fitz had the worst Saturday afternoon anybody could imagine. He was hours away from going on a date with his girlfriend's mom! But then again, Ella didn't know about Aria and Ezra's relationship, and Ezra hoped to keep it that way.

Ezra didn't know what to wear that night for dinner. If he went too fancy, Aria would get jealous, and if he went casual, Ella would get embarrassed. So, Ezra finally decided to wear a simple grey sweater, khakis, and converse. It was something he wore often, since Aria thought he looked hot in the outfit.

At last, Ezra heard a knock on his door. He knew it was from Ella. Ezra checked around his apartment one last time to make sure that all of the evidence that Aria had been inside the apartment had disappeared. For example, their paper bags were hidden inside the counter, and Aria's jackets and scarves had been shoved into a closet. The only thing Ezra could not get rid of was the wonderful smell of Aria's perfume. He hoped that Ella would not notice it.

Ezra approached his door and swung it open.

"Ella!" he forced a smile.

"Hi," Ella greeted. "Are you ready to go?"

Ezra nodded. "Just a second, I need to get my watch."

Ezra jumped back into his apartment and motioned for Ella to follow. Ella looked at everything in the apartment, kind of like Aria had done.

"It's a nice apartment, Ezra," Ella complimented.

"Thanks," Ezra said, even though he really didn't care of what Ella thought of it.

Ezra quickly put on his watch, and they left the apartment. Ella led the way to her car, and Ezra jumped into the passenger's seat.

"Would you like to drive?" Ella asked.

"Oh," Ezra whispered. "No thanks."

"Okay," Ella sighed and entered her car, too.

They drove in silence for half an hour. Just as Ella pulled into the restaurants parking lot at 7:30, she turned to Ezra.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Ezra," Ella admitted. "It really does mean lot to me."

Ezra nodded, but didn't say anything. Honestly, he would rather be watching old movies with Aria. In fact, he was kind of jealous of the situation. Ezra wished that he could take Aria out, but he couldn't. If they were caught, he would be in a ton of trouble.

Once she had parked, Ella and Ezra exited her car. They walked in silence towards the restaurant. Once they entered, Ella lead the way to a six person table in the back of the restaurant. The table already had four people in it, meaning that Ezra and Ella were late.

"Ella," One of the woman greeted, "I'm so glad you came. I was getting worried that you wouldn't come."

Ella smiled. "It's nice to see you, too."

"So, who is the young man?" the other woman asked, jokingly. "Your son?"

The first woman laughed, but Ezra stayed stiff. He forced a smile.

"Actually, I'm Ezra," Ezra introduced himself.

"I'm Rick," one of the men said. He shook Ezra's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Ezra nodded.

"And this is Annette," Rick motioned to the woman he sat next to. It was the first woman who had spoken. The one that had laughed. "She is my wife."

Ezra shook Annette's hand. "It's nice to meet you," he politely said.

Ella introduced the rest of the people. The woman who had called Ezra Ella's son's name was Anna. Her boyfriend was named Chris.

Once the six people were seated, Anna began to talk to Ella. "So, Ella, I'm glad you've moved on from Byron."

"That man doesn't deserve you," Annette added. "After all he did."

"What did he do?" Rick asked.

"Cheated on Ella."

"With who?"

"One of his students," Ezra blurted out before he could stop himself. Ella stared at him as if to ask _how did you know? _Ezra shrugged.

"That's disgusting," Chris said. "A teacher should never even fantasize about being with a student. It's sickening."

Ezra turned pale. He felt uncomfortable, as if Chris was talking directly to him. He and Aria were not sick, nor gross. They were in love. And that was what mattered.

Ella, too, felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to talk about Byron.

"So," Anna asked Ezra. "What do you do for a living?"

"I teach at Rosewood High."

"Just like Ella?"

"Yes. That's where we met."

"Actually," Ella interrupted. "Not exactly. We met at the movies that day. Remember?"

"Right," Ezra nodded. He remembered the day quite well. After the movie, he and Aria had shared a make-out scene in his car.

"How old are you, Ezra?" Annette wondered. "I'm sorry if it's rude. Its just that you look awfully young."

"I'm 24."

"You are young, then," Annette said. "You could be Ella's son."

"Or Aria's boyfriend," Rick added.

Ezra blushed. If only they knew.

"Actually, I'm Aria's English teacher," he explained.

The rest of the night proceeded like that. Soon, Ezra knew a lot about Rick, Annette, Anna, and Chris. In return, they knew a lot about Ezra. They chatted about the weather, the president, the news, and whatever else came into mind. Since it had been a while since Ezra had hung out with people around his age, Ezra enjoyed the night. Yet, he still would have preferred to be in his apartment with Aria, curled up by his side, watching old movies.

Finally, the night came to an end.

"What time is it?" Annette had asked.

"Nine."

Annette and Rick exchanged glances. "We'd better get going. We have to get up early tomorrow for work."

"And I still have papers to grade," Ella added. "And I bet you do, too, Ezra."

Ezra nodded.

Anna got up. "We should do this again some time, Ella."

"Ya, I had fun," Rick said.

Ella looked at Ezra. "I don't know," she started.

"Oh, come on."

"Please?"

Ella stared at Ezra. Finally, he gave in.

"Sure, maybe some time," he answered as he placed a fake smile on his face. Little did he know what he had just gotten himself into.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but I've been out of the country and stuff. Anyways, thanks for all the nice reviews. They all make my day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Sunday morning, Ezra Fitz was awakened at seven am by his amazing girlfriend, Aria Montgomery. She stood in his tiny kitchen making pancakes while he slept. Aria hoped that she could surprise Ezra with a breakfast in bed, but her plan miserably failed as soon as the sweet aroma of pancake batter entered the English teacher's nostrils.

"Mmmm," Ezra mumbled as he woke up. He sat up on his bed and stretched. "It smells good, babe."

Aria looked over her shoulder and stared into Ezra's mesmerizing blue eyes. A smile exploded on her tiny face.

"Thanks," she told him as she migrated towards his queen bed. "You know, the pancakes are actually for my boyfriend. You see, yesterday he went out with my mom, and I hoped that these pancakes would make him become more interested in me."

Ezra smirked as Aria climbed onto the bed and snuggled next to him. "Well," he joked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, "you're lucky your boyfriend is a sucker for pancakes."

Aria giggled into his chest before leaning into his lips for a 'good morning' kiss.

"Good morning, babe," she whispered against his lips.

"'Morning, beautiful."

**. . .**

After Aria and Ezra finished Aria's undercooked pancakes (just the way Ezra liked them), the couple decided to get ready for the day. Ezra hoped in the shower as Aria washed the dishes. When Ezra finished his shower, Aria picked a cute outfit and headed towards the bathroom.

Alas, the star-crossed lovers were both dressed and bathed. Aria chose this time to bring up the topic which both had forcefully ignored.

"So," Aria mumbled. She tapped her fingers on the arms of Ezra's leather couch. "How was the date last night?"

Ezra, who sat beside Aria, released a shaky breath. What was he suppost to say? "Uh," he started; he scratched the back of his neck: a nervous habit, "it was okay, I guess."

Aria nodded slightly. She looked straight ahead of her, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Ezra was studying her unique facial features. "That's good?"

Ezra didn't know how to reply. So, he and Aria sat awkwardly and quietly, listing to each other breathing. After a few minutes, Ezra decided what to say.

"Aria," he whispered, "I messed up."

Aria remained silent, expecting the worse. Had Ella and Ezra kissed? Or worse, had they... _No! Ezra would never cheat on me! _Her brain yelled at her. But then why had he said that he messed up?

Sensing what Aria was thinking about, Ezra quickly explained himself. "No, Aria, I would never cheat on you! I love you, you know that. The thing is, your mom's friends asked me if I wanted to eat with them again, and I kinda said yes."

"Oh, okay," Aria whispered. That wasn't so bad. "And that is bad because?"

Ezra sighed. "It's, it's not bad, Aria. It's just that at the begging of the evening, they were talking about your dad and Meredith."

Aria paled.

"And," Ezra continued, "one of your mom's friends said that a teacher should never be with a student. _Ever_. He was disgusted by the thought." Ezra grabbed Aria's hands and carefully massaged them. "I kept on thinking about you and how you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Aria smiled. Even when giving bad news, Ezra always managed to get her to smile. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, too," she whispered, shyly. Even though she had never ever said those words, she knew that Ezra knew that. He was always there for her, no matter what.

Ezra slowly kissed the top of her hairline. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he asked, meaning every word he said.

She smiled softly, and then buried her head into his chest. "I have a pretty good idea," she whispered.

Ezra leaned down to kiss his girlfriend, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I should get that," he whispered into Aria's ear.

Aria groaned, but got up anyways and made her way into the bathroom to hide. She carefully shut the door behind her and sat on the floor, waiting for the guest to go away. She placed her head to the door, hoping to be able to pick up some words from the conversation Ezra was about to have.

At first, she heard nothing. Then, after a few seconds, she heard Ezra's door open, and she heard her boyfriend say a name she knew too well.

"Ella!"


End file.
